Kris, A Lady Knights Tale
by Arram Salmalin
Summary: The third lady knight, read of the girl who wants to fufill her dream to become a lady knight...how will the events unfold? Set in the year during and after Kel's probationary page year. *has been updated...6th chapter is now up!!!* plz r&r!!!
1. Decisions

Disclaimer: All characters and locations that are mentioned that are familiar (i.e. Alanna and Tortall) all belong to the Supreme Goddess Tamora Pierce, not me (although it would be cool to be able to create such wonderful stories as she does). Please don't sue me, I have no money.  
  
  
  
  
  
It was dark and rainy. A young girl with long sandy hair and deep blue eyes was sitting beside a fire inside the common room of her parents' summer cottage. She was in a furious debate with herself. She knew that another girl, Keladry of Mindelan had tried to start her training to become a lady knight, but that she had been gypped on the deal and had to start as a probationary page. But all through Kris of Santander's life, since the knighting of Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and Olau, (then Trebond) she had wanted to become a lady knight. She knew that the road to knighthood would be a long and hard one, and she was delighted that King Jonathon had declared girls to train as page, squire, and finally become a knight of the realm of Tortall. But when the king forced the first girl to try to become a knight openly to be on probation, Kris was having second thoughts. She didn't want to face the torture and taunting that everybody knew was happening to Mindelan. Now, as she was nibbling on her index finger, (a habit that she had been trying to break since the age of three) she was trying to decide whether she should copy Keladry's actions, or mimic that of Lady Alanna's, and disguise herself as a boy. Her parents were busy 6 days of the week and when they came home, she might as well be invisible for all the attention that they pay to her. Her uncle (who had died 6 months ago) had taught her the ways of the sword, bow, and how to ride a horse. She was gifted, but from an early age, she had been taught not to use her gift ever, because it was a crutch. She despised her gift, despite being trained to perform simple healing spells and create fire. So she thought she had what it takes to be a lady knight. But there was one problem: prejudice. She had been thinking about this for several weeks now, ever since news reached Santander that Keladry had been put on probation. She was getting tired, so she decided to resume the consideration of her dilemma after she was fully rested. As she climbed the stairs to her bedchamber, she noticed that one of her pet cat, Katina, was sleeping on a stair, just waiting to be trodden on. Kris, being fond of this particular cat, picked her up and took her to her room. She laid her on a spare pillow that a servant had brought up the day before when she had found a sparrow in need of rest after it had been chased from who knows where by a very nasty hawk. Kris was very fond of most animals and took care of them whenever she could. Now as she was placing a dish of water near where the cat slept, she took a deep yawn. She climbed into bed and within seconds, she was fast asleep.  
  
Kris woke early and abruptly to find a very hungry cat standing on her stomach, digging its claws into her and growling at her. She quickly called a servant to her room and ordered food for herself and Katina, so that she wouldn't have to deal with a cat on the warpath. Kris took a bath and was just getting out when she heard a servant come in and set what sounded like a tray in a table beside her bed. Smiling at the quick service, she decided to take the name of the servant to recommend to her father for some extra pay. "Excuse me, but would you mind telling me your name faithful servant," Said Kris, as she was coming out of her washroom. But she realized that the servant had left. She was wondering why when Katina came strolling into her room. "I should of known, you shouldn't chase the servants away like that, I don't think that they like it." After setting Katina's food on the floor, Kris sat down on her bed to comb her hair and to resume the discussion going on inside her head. 'They say that the page Keladry is not fairing too well in the palace. She is being harassed by most of the other pages and the others won't even go near here. But, on the other hand, Alanna was able to hide her identity until she was knighted, and she was never harassed because everyone thought that she was just another boy. That does it, I'll become a lady knight without the extra trouble of being the butt of every joke.' With that taken care of, all Kris had to do now was to find a way to travel to Corus, and become a page without her parents knowing. Then, an idea struck her. She reached for a quill, parchment, and ink (which she always keeps handy for a bit of nighttime drawing) and started to write:  
  
Dear Mother and Father,  
  
I know this is kind of sudden, but I've decided to join the Convent at the City of the Gods. I've given this a lot of thought and I have decided that I should make something of myself and become one of them. Sincerely,  
  
Kris  
  
Now all she had to do was pack. As she was packing her sword, (a gift from her uncle) a thought popped into her head. She decided to take Katina with her because if she could disguise her sex, she could hide a cat, right? The next night, she saddled one of her parents' horses, and began her journey to Corus.  
  
A/N (actually, more like author's plea.) Please r&r so that I can see if I should continue the story of Kris. Thanks for reading. 


	2. The trip to Corus: dangers on the road.

Disclaimer: Pierce's stuff ain't mine so don't sue me.  
  
  
  
  
  
Kris awoke on her third day of travel with a sense of determination. She had been living off the wildlife and her supplies so she was not starving, like some of the citizens of the village she passed. Sigh.another long day. Kris got up, saddled her horse, making sure Katina was secured safely in her makeshift basket, and started down the path once more.  
  
Kris was thinking again, something she did often. 'I wonder what life like a page would be like,' she thought. 'Especially with one girl already there. I wonder if she can keep up. I know I can.' Her cocky attitude was soon put to rest however.  
  
"Who rides in our territory," cried a particularly nasty voice. "You are trespassing on the lands of the great Irkah, and if you don't leave immediately, you shall be annihilated."  
  
"Wha." Kris was confused. She did not see anyone, although there were very few trees around, and she definitely heard a voice. Then she smelled something that could kill an elephant. She looked up. About a dozen Stormwings hovered over her, 20 feet in the air.  
  
"Eeep, not good," Kris yelped. She had never actually come in contact with an immortal and she had hoped it would be a friendly one. Apparently, it wasn't.  
  
"Speak, or you shall never have the chance to do so again. King Jonathon expressly promised us that no human would walk on these grounds and here you stand before me, a filthy girl, who probably has wet her breeches."  
  
That did it. Nobody insulted Kris and got away with it. Gathering her wits and strength, she grabbed her bow (slung around her shoulder, just for this kind of occasion) and an arrow from a quiver tied to the saddle and strung the bow. The stormwings had sensed what she was doing but were too stunned by a mere girl trying to attack them that they hadn't moved. Kris let loose, and the arrow struck the stormwing who had issued the warning in its chest, just below the neck. The stormwing fell, and the others after it, but no, they were diving. Kris realized this with horror and had already kicked her horse into a gallop when she saw movement in the sky.  
  
"I just had to anger them. Why couldn't I keep my big mouth shut?" Kris muttered as she was trying to escape her extremely angry pursuers.  
  
"You shall not escape girl!" shouted one of the immortals. "We shall exact our revenge for your rude and idiotic actions!"  
  
Kris was running out of options. Her horse was tiring and she knew, all too clearly, that she was no match with a sword or bow for a dozen stormwings, even if one was injured. With pursed lips Kris decided what she would do.  
  
"Catch me if you can!" she yelled behind her. Kris drove her horse into a forest that she had been careful not to enter, hoping ('boy am I crazy') that the stormwings would follow. After Kris had entered the trees she began untying the saddle and her packs from the horse, careful not to injure Katina. She then, with one hand set the trees around her ablaze with her gift and jumped off the horse, her things falling with her, and Katina safely in her grasp. Now came the risky part. The fire, she hoped, would scare the horse into running without her, and keeping the stormwings from seeing or smelling her. Finally, though it had only been mere seconds, the stormwings flew past her has a distorted blur after her horse. Kris knew that she had to get out of the forest so she made sure that all her supplies were still attached to her saddle and she made her way to where she entered the forest, away from those horrible stormwings. When she emerged, she sighed a great sigh, rolled out her bedroll, and collapsed into it.  
  
She was walking down the road the next day in a terrible mood. Though she had escaped death, she was not happy as to the way that she had to do it. She had used her gift, and that meant that she was weak. She was beating herself up mentally for a good 15 minutes before she realized that she had entered a town. Looking up, her jaw dropped. She had arrived in the city of Corus.  
  
  
  
A/N good? Bad? r&r PLZ!!!!! 


	3. First Day in Corus: Meeting New People

Disclaimer: All things aren't mine except Kris and Katina.. maybe Freddie.I need to look into that (lol) anyway, the other things belong to the great goddess Tamora Pierce.  
  
  
  
  
  
Kris looked around, taking in the sights and sounds of the busiest city that she had ever seen. Clutching her saddle/supplies close to her, she made her way down the street, awestruck.  
  
"Wow, I never expected Corus to be this big," Kris mused to no one in particular. "I knew it was the capitol and all but geeze."  
  
"Yes m'lady, but you will get used to it," said a stranger, apparently following her. "The town only seems overwhelming."  
  
Kris froze. She hated it when people snuck up on her, and she really despised people that she didn't know just coming up to talk to her.  
  
"Who are you?" demanded Kris, turning around. What she saw amazed her. Standing before her now was the largest man that she had ever seen and he was on horseback to top that. "H-hullo," Kris stuttered.  
  
"G'day. My name is Raoul of Goldenlake. That sounded so familiar. "And who might you be?"  
  
"Kris of Satntander," blurted Kris. 'Why can't I keep my big mouth shut?' though Kris, angry with herself for not thinking things through first. With a bit more caution she said, "I'm her to.visit relatives in the city." 'That'll do it.' She was happy that she had come up with a good excuse.  
  
"Whatever you say, but it doesn't look like you are just visiting," he said eyeing her saddle.  
  
----A bell rings in the distance----  
  
"Drat, I must return to the castle and prepare for the end of year tests. It was nice to meet you. I'll try to show you around another time." And with that Raoul rode off to the castle.  
  
Kris had resumed walking and was wondering who that was when another person greeted her.  
  
"Hello, were you looking for a room by any chance?" The sound came from the doorway of a very strange looking inn. Above the door was a sign: The Dancing Dove.  
  
Kris eyed the innkeeper (she assumed) warily. "And how am I supposed to know if you will not steal all that I have, me being a girl and all." Kris was suspicious of this man's "kindness."  
  
"I am an honest man, I wouldn't harm a fly. How can you distrust me when Lord Raoul has just stayed here for the night, him hating those nasty balls and such."  
  
"L-lord Raoul?" Kris started nibbling her index finger. "From the Own?!" She had suddenly remembered who Raoul was, Knight Commander of the King's Own.  
  
"The very same. My name is my name is Freddie. I don't own the inn, the owner isn't here right now.but I can get you a room if you want."  
  
Kris thought this over, still nibbling. 'If he is telling the truth, then I can stay here until the end of this year's tests and go up there when it is over. And Lord Raoul trusts him, why can't I?" Just then Katina started to meow with hunger from her shoulder, where she had climbed during her talk with Raoul. "I can get food here too right?"  
  
"Aye."  
  
"Good, now there's only the matter of cost."  
  
"Don't worry yourself, you may pay for the room and accommodations, or you may work."  
  
Kris didn't feel like paying, she took enough money but the thought of being able to keep it for something else was too great.  
  
"I'll work," Kris decided.  
  
"Well then, come in and I'll get you situated."  
  
Later, when Kris had unpacked what few things she owned, a satchel of mussed clothing some food, her bedroll, and her weapons, she slowly climbed into bed ('thank Mithros for nice people), exhausted from the days events, and wondering what tomorrow will hold in store for her.  
  
A/N Plz r&r. I would like to know if this story is good or bad or whatever. Give me your opinions!!! 


	4. A Curious Morning

Kris awoke in the early morning before sunrise to a very annoying disturbance; she had a cat on her stomach. Being very careful as to not hurt Katina, she slowly rolled over.  Katina didn't even wake up at being turned on her back, and Kris wished that she could sleep through things like that, too.   
  
   
  
"I don't know why I brought you on this trip," she muttered while setting a bath. "But I'm not going to allow you to use me as a pillow, you've done that enough already at home as it is."  
  
   
  
She undressed out of her clothes that she had worn yesterday; she had been too tired to change into a nightgown last night, and climbed into the hot bath.  "Ah...this feels good."  
  
   
  
As she was thinking, which she always does when she's very relaxed, she decided to take a look around the inn so that she wouldn't get lost tomorrow, not realizing that she could get lost herself.  But for know she would just relax and clear her mind of thought.   
  
   
  
10 minutes later, after she had washed and dried, she decided that she might as well go exploring.  So she dressed in a clean pair of breeches and a tunic that she had brought form home and hadn't gotten dirtied from previous events.  They were her brother's when he was her age so they fit quite nicely, though they were a little loose in the...   
  
   
  
She was interrupted of her thinking when Katina stretched and yawned very audibly.  
  
   
  
"Shhhhhhh," said Kris, not wanting to wake up the entire inn. She slowly opened her door, and careful not to let Katina out, she quickly slipped out into the hallway.   
  
   
  
First she decided to go away from the common room, because she knew where that was.  So she took a left turn and started her exploration of the Dancing Dove.   
  
   
  
As she was walking down the corridor, she noticed that one of the rooms was locked.  'Well that's odd,' she thought, as she tried the doorknob. 'All of the other rooms are open, and I don't think I saw any other people staying at the inn. At least not on this corridor.'   
  
   
  
She shrugged it off and resumed her search.  She discovered where the bathrooms were, and which rooms were occupied, but nearing the end of a hallway, she looked around.  She saw a nice tapestry on one side of her, and a doorway one the other.  It was then that she realized that she was thoroughly lost.  She decided to check what was in the door on her left.  She opened the door and found that it was filled with cleaning supplies and similar things.  Disappointed, she slammed the door and turned to find her way back to her room.  But when she turned, she crossed her feet and tripped right into the tapestry, tearing it down.  Her jaw dropped.  
  
   
  
Just before her was a door.  The tapestry had hid it and now Kris's curiosity was overcoming her surprise. "I wonder what this could lead to," she wondered aloud as she turned the knob on the door and pushed. If she had ever been as surprised as she was now earlier in her life she couldn't remember it. Before her was a long hallway with doors on one side that seemed to stretch across the entire length of two sides of the inn. Not wanting to get caught, she quickly put the tapestry back up over the door and slid behind it into the hallway, shutting the door behind her. Moving down the corridor, Kris saw that the doors were all back doors to each of the rooms of the Dancing Dove. The other side, she realized with disappointment, was only a two-foot thick wall of concrete. Also, to even greater disappointment, she couldn't find a door that led to her mysterious locked room.  
  
Reaching the end of the corridor, she found another door. She put her hand on the knob and jumped back, surprised.  
  
"What in Mithros' name was that?" she whispered. Putting her hand back on the knob she found that it was spelled and had a warm fuzzy feeling to it. No doubt the knob had once burned its mark into one that was unlucky enough to try and open it, but that spell had worn off now and nobody had bothered to renew it. Trying the knob again she cursed. "Well of course I wouldn't be able to open it." Ready to turn back, Kris had an idea. Tired of not getting her way, she probed the door with her gift. The door was also spelled. Muttering a spell to break the door's charm she opened the door. 'Stairs?' Kris thought, 'Why are there stairs?' As she reached the top of the stairs she started to get confused. She now had a view of the entire common room, but why someone would make that corridor and this place for spying. Looking down she saw the nice man that had taken her in talking to a large man who looked like he had been on a long journey. Not wanting to be seen, she slowly made her way back to the staircase.  
  
Something caught Kris's eye just before she reached the stairs. It was a ladder. 'I can get a better look of Corus from up there,' she thought, guessing that it led to the roof. She quietly climbed the ladder, and opened a trap door at the top of it. She was right, it did lead to the roof, and she could see much of Corus. Once again she was amazed. Standing not to far off was the castle. "So that's where I'll be training soon. Looks better than my old home to say the least." Making her way across the roof, to get a better look at the castle, Kris had and idea. If there were so many secrets to this place, there were probably more. Searching the thatch, her efforts were rewarded; she found another trap door. Opening it, she climbed down a ladder into a room.  
  
The room was very clean, she realized as she looked around, not a speck of dust in anywhere. Then it struck her that this was her room, the one she couldn't get in. Now her curiosity overwhelmed her as she looked around her for a second time. It was a bedroom, much like hers, but it was bigger and had more style to it. The bedposts had ornate carvings on them, and there was a fancy tapestry above the bed of an unfamiliar coat of arms bearing knife and sword crossed together, and the letters K.O. T. engraved on the inside of the door. Looking inside of a drawer, she found a small painting of a beautiful woman with flaming red hair and a lock of what looked like the same hair tied with a string just beside it.  
  
"And just what is a little lady like yourself doing here?"  
  
'Goddess protect me,' Kris thought as she jumped five feet in the air, to terrified to scream. 


	5. A New Friend

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, only Kris and Katina, all else belongs to the great, powerful, and all knowing Arram Salmalin, er, I mean Tamora Pierce.  
  
Several minutes passed, without either of the two people in the mysterious room uttering a word. The only sound to be heard was Kris's just been scared breathing and the other person's calm and collective breaths  
  
As these minutes passed Kris took the opportunity to examine her intruder. `Well, not any more of an intruder than I am,' she thought grimly. He was a fairly handsome man, brown hair, nice hazel eyes, `Stop that you don't even know if he's going to kill you!' Okay, normal, everyday brown eyes `that better?...Yes!' Aw...his nose is much too large for him to be handsome anyway. While she was thinking her finger went to her mouth involuntarily and she started nibbling on it.  
  
"That's not a very good habit, you know," said the man.  
  
Kris jumped almost as high as she had before.  
  
"And do you always jump when you are spoken to?"  
  
"I don't care if it's a bad habit and I do not always jump," was the indignant reply. "I'll have you know that I am a very respectable person."  
  
"Is that why you're sneaking around in my room?"  
  
Several moments pass...  
  
"Uh...this isn't your room."  
  
"Yes it is."  
  
"Darn...well can you prove it?"  
  
"How do you know I won't just kill you? I could be a thief and be here to rob and plunder."  
  
Gulp.  
  
"But fortunately for you,"  
  
Phew!  
  
"I can prove that this is my room. First of all, you are holding a picture of my wife. Second, I am much more noble than you and you must do as I say."  
  
"B..." Kris stuttered just before she noticed how richly he was dressed.  
  
"On the second reason, I am not serious, you so not have to do as I command, but the first reason stands true."  
  
Suddenly an idea popped into her head. "What is your fief?"  
  
"Pirate's Swoop." Baron George Cooper of Pirate's Swoop grinned as he saw the realization dawn on her face.  
  
"You-your Baron George Cooper!"  
  
"Yes I am."  
  
"And your wife must be..."  
  
Yes, yes Lady Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and Olau, First Lady Knight Errant in all of Tortall for who knows how long," said George in a tone that suggested that he had repeated this as many times as there had been years of no lady knight in Tortall.  
  
"Over a hundred, Sir," she said pertly.  
  
"I already know that, and please do not call me sir," he said, slightly vexed.  
  
"This is great, you can help me."  
  
George's ears pricked up, he always like to help. "And how might I be of service to one so beautiful as yourself?"  
  
The flattery worked. Kris blushed crimson and started to tell her whole story."  
  
"Not again," was George's reply as she finished. .  
  
"What do you mean?" Kris asked, slightly puzzled and alarmed.  
  
"Oh, only that I thought I was done with this kind of mischief a long time ago."  
  
Kris noticed an odd gleam to George's eyes.  
  
Then George remembered something that he thought to be pretty important. "You do know about the monthly cycle don't y-" but he was cut off.  
  
"Yes, yes mother told me a thousand times of the monthly bleeding." Kris was now sporting a very deep crimson on both of her cheeks.  
  
"Good. That'll prevent at least one mishap," said a relieved George.  
  
"Well, are you going to help me or not?" Kris was getting impatient, (not to mention afraid of being embarrassed again.)  
  
"I guess so, but first things first. You must promise me not to tell anybody else about this, do you hear me? Nobody."  
  
"I shall tell no one else. I swear on my honor as a noble."  
  
"Good, now we must start talking about what we shall do to make this work." George moved to the door, opened it, and yelled, "Ronny! Send drinks up to the King's room as soon as you can. Oh, and bring some fresh bread and butter too. And maybe some fruit!" Then to Kris he added, "We may be here for a while, you didn't pick an easy route, that's for sure."  
  
Kris looked a little startled. `King?!' she thought. Then it hit her, `I won't be able to explore the city today. Well, I brought this upon myself.' And with that Kris got ready for a long day of making plans and thinking of ways to be a boy. 


	6. Another Meeting

Disclaimer: None of Tamora Pierce's stuff belongs to be etc. etc. etc.  
  
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It was very late.Â  Kris and George had spent all of the day and most of the night talking about what they would do to ensure that she wasn't caught.Â  At first she had thought that she would have to go work, so that she may keep her room, but George had said that he would pay for it.Â  When Kris started to argue, he gave her a look that said, "You don't really want to do unnessecary work, do you?"Â  Kris decided to bring this up later and theyÂ returned to planning.Â   
  
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"Wow, I didn't realize all the troubles Lady Alanna had to go through,"Â mused Kris, nibbling an her index finger.Â  She always nibbled when she was thinking.Â  George had just finished telling her about all of the times Alanna had almost gotten caught.Â  He had also told her about what he referred to as "the Duke Roger incident."  
  
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"And yes, she really had to kill him twice," explained George, reading the amazed look on Kris' face.Â  He had enjoyed watching her get more and more amazed as he had continued his wife's story of becoming a knight.Â  "Well, it's getting pretty late, do you think we should turn in?"  
  
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"No," she replied, stifling a yawn.Â  "I want to hear more about *yawn* Alanna."  
  
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"I'm sorry, but it looks as if you are ready to fall asleep any second now.Â  Let's get you to bed now."Â Â With that, George picked up the already asleep Kris and took her to her room.  
  
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Kris was walking around outside; it was a beautiful day.Â  It had been two weeks since that night with George, and she was walking up through the temple district, making her way towards the palace.Â  She was dressed in a tunic and breeches, and carried a small pack with her belongings in it slung across her back.Â  Soon she arrived at the palace, and after entering, was greeted by George.Â  Accompanying George was a short red-headed woman, a brown-haired woman with a much older dark haired man, a young girlÂ that looked to beÂ about eleven and a man with jet black hair and saphire eyes, holding the most beautiful woman that Kris had ever seen at his side.Â  Then she noticed a small mangled looking dog at the girl's feet.Â   
  
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"Welcome to Corus my dear.Â  I am King Jonathon, and this is my wife Thayet."Â  Kris was awestruck.Â  "This i think you already know, is George, this is Lady Alanna, this is Daine, this is Numair, and this is Keladry," he said, introducing them all in turn.Â   
  
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Kris was stunned and unable to speak.Â  The king had said "my dear" and had spoken to her like she was his own kin.Â  Then she noticed that she was not in a tunic and breeches at all, but an elegent dress and was now dancing with each of the men in turn.Â  They were in a ball room, and the music was very nice to the ears.Â  She was getting confused.Â  She usually hated dresses but found that she liked being in this one.Â  'This is so strange,'Â  She thought.Â  JustÂ then, the dog that had been by Keladry's feet started barking.Â  No, wait, it was meowing.Â  She shut her eyes tight,Â just as it had jumped on her, making her fall onto the floor.Â  'IT'S GOING TO KILL ME!'Â she thought frantically.Â  But the dog only dug it's claws into her and kept on meowing.  
  
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Kris' eyes flew open.  
  
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"KATINA!" she yelled at the cat clawing her chest. Then, rememering that there were other people sleeping, she said,Â "You nearly gave me a heart attack! What am i going to do to make you stop using me as a scratching post?Â I was having the most wonderful dream.Â  It was about..."Â  But Kris had totally forgotten the dream and what it was about.Â  "I guess I'll let you go this time, but not the next," she told the cat grumpily.  
  
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Kris' anger eventually died down, but she would beÂ making the cat sleep locked in the bathroom tonight.Â  If only she could remeber her dream...Â  Â Well, she needed to ready herself for the day.Â  She couldn't worry about silly dreams, she had exploring to do.Â  She had plans to see Corus and learn what there was to learn about being a page, if she could.Â  George had said that there would be some pages and squires with time off due to the summer holiday drawing near,Â because theÂ teachers wanted their break earlier, and were being nice.Â  Maybe she could meet one of them.  
  
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After she had bathed, she dressed in breeches and a tunic, grabbed her small purse that held her money, strapped a two knives two her wrists, were she could reach them easily (George's gift and advice) and made her way downstairs to go out into the streets of Corus.Â  But before she could leave, she was stopped in the common room by the man she had seen earlier from her perch in the rafters.  
  
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"Excuse me, miss.Â  I couldn't help but notice that you had a little adventure last night in my inn," the man said.  
  
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'So this was the owner,'Â  Kris thought.  
  
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"I want you to promise to tell me the next time you do anything like that again. I don't like when people uncover secrets, especially my secrets.Â  I don't want to end up like old Solom."  
  
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"Yessir, I promise that I'll tell you next time."  
  
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"Thank you.Â  Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I'd like to introduce myself.Â  My name is Rick, and if you didn't already assumed this, I am the owner of the Dancing Dove."  
  
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"Hi, nice to meet you.Â  My name is Kris.Â  I hope I didn't make you too mad."Â   
  
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:"No, it's alright.Â  Anyways, are you hungry?Â  I was just about to eat and i think I ordered too much," he said, motioning to the 3 eggs, 6 slices of bacon, and 2 hash browns in front of him.Â   
  
Â   
  
'Was heÂ expecting me?' Kris wondered, taking in the sight and smell of the food.Â  "Yes, i am kind of hungry."  
  
Â   
  
"So, what brings you to Corus?" Rick asked, as Kris sat down.Â   
  
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"Uh," Kris remembered what George had said.Â  "I'm visiting my family on the other side of town.Â  I'm not supposed to arrive for another two weeks though, so I'm staying here.Â  They don't like it when people arrive before they should." 'Phew, that was close!'  
  
Â   
  
"Hmm.Â  So, what do you think of George?"  
  
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"He's...nice."Â  Kris was getting bored, she wanted to go exploring.  
  
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"That's good.Â  I was ju-."Â  Rick was cut off by Freddie coming in and looking distressed.Â   
  
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"Excuse me Rick, Kris.Â  Rick, I need to talk to you.Â  Privately."Â FreddieÂ said, his voice wavering slightly.Â   
  
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"Kris, will you excuse me?" Rick asked, looking at her.  
  
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"Of course.Â  I was just about to leave anyway." And with that, Rick and Freddie went into another room, talking quietly.Â   
  
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KrisÂ stood up, wiping her face with a napkin.Â  The food was pretty good.Â  Now, with a full stomach, Kris was definately ready to start exploring the city of Corus.  
  
Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  ***  
  
  
  
A/N:Â  So how was it this time? I hope you enjoyed it.Â  Now, see that little icon down there that says review? Well, click it and review, PLZ!Â  And thx to Lady Knight of Kennan for editing!Â  REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! 


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